Hosts Oman claim 13 medals on the final day, including four individual golds and overall team honours
The 15th edition of Mussanah Race Week and 3rd Arab Women’s Sailing Championship officially concluded following a thrilling week of high-performance racing at the Barceló Mussanah Resort. Representing the next generation of sailors from across the region, over 100 sailors competing in both events showcased their talents and the potential for the sport to keep growing.
Hosts Oman claimed an impressive medal haul on the final day, winning overall gold and silver in the Optimist championship, as well as Junior gold and bronze and silver in the Women’s competition, gold in the ILCA 7, silver in the women’s ILCA 4 as well as overall silver, and three medals in the Hansa 303 competition to also claim team honours.
The ILCA 7 competition promised a close finish and certainly delivered. Dawood Abdullah from Bahrain went into the day with a single point lead over Oman’s Al Mutasem Humood Al Farsi but the young Omani overhauled the deficit to end level on points and take gold on countback which put him four points ahead. Hamza Al Ali of the UAE took bronze, just two points behind second. Omani’s Alsalim Ali Al Hamdani and Abdulatif Ziyad Al Qasmi finished fourth and fifth respectively, while Saleh Ali Al Balushi finished seventh.
Khaled Yahya Al Sarihi started the day all but assured of Optimist gold but still put in a very good performance to take second place in the final race. Teammate Mohammed Ziyad Al Qasmi surged from seventh overnight to take second overall with a win in the last race to seal an Oman one-two. That pushed the UAE’s Dhiab Al Muhairi into third and Krishna Venkitachalam of India into fourth. Fellow Omani Alkhalil Ibrahim Al Fori finished sixth, with four Omani sailors following closely behind in eighth to 11th place.
Fellow Omani Mohammed Suleiman Al Balushi won the Junior title, finishing eighth overall, with a commendable fourth place in the last race. Zakaria Bouhamid of Kuwait finished second, while Mohammed Said Al Qurtoobi of Oman took the junior bronze medal. Oman’s Mohamed Nabeel Al Baloshi ended the championship as the fourth placed junior and 17th overall.
The girl’s Optimist title went to Laila Mohamed from Egypt who ended a very impressive campaign with another win. Shringari Roy of India finished second to win the silver medal while Abeer Kalil Al Zakwani from Oman finished third to take bronze.
Laila Mohamed also won gold in the 3rd Arab Women’s Sailing Championship Optimist event with Abeer Khalil Al Zakwani from Oman getting silver and Dana Abdullah of Bahrain winning the bronze. Oman’s Dima Khalfan Al Balushi finished fifth.
The Egyptian team had another reason to celebrate in the ILCA 4 competition as Karma Waleed took both Arab Women’s Sailing Championship gold and overall gold. Tarteel Zaid Al Hasani from Oman won women’s silver in both, finishing fourth overall, to mark a very impressive performance. Malak Al Dawsiri of Bahrain finished third in the women’s competition and won the bronze medal. Oman’s Hadeel Yousuf Al Mushaifri finished fourth, missing out on bronze by four points, and ends Mussanah Race Week in ninth overall.
In the overall rankings Abdulrahman Al Bahri of the UAE claimed gold, just ahead of Oman’s Hood Saad Al Hofli who settles for silver while Hamad Al Mansoor from Kuwait takes home the bronze. Mudhr Talal Al Faliti of Oman finished in seventh.
Ines Gmati of Tunisia is the new Arab Women’s Sailing ILCA 6 champion after securing gold with a very impressive week of sailing where she secured seven wins from 12 races and never finished outside of the top three. Gmati also claimed Mussanah Race Week gold as overall winner to cap off an excellent outing for the Tunisian. Kholoud Mostafa of Egypt took silver with fellow Egyptian Maryam Ihab winning bronze. Ibtisam Al Salmi of Oman finished fifth. In the overall competition, Simeon Hristov of the UAE won gold while Mohammed Al Hammadi from the UAE claimed silver and Waleed Tawfiq from Bahrain won the bronze. Elyas Badar Al Fadhali was the highest ranked Omani in the overall standings, finishing eighth overall.
The Para Inclusive Hansa 303 competition featured an all-Omani fleet and ended as it had the previous day with the crew of Buthaina Al Balushi-Malik Al Qartoobi taking gold four points ahead of Anwer Al Balushi-Adil Al Siyabi in silver and a further 11 points ahead of Anas Al Hashmi-Ahmed Al Araimi in third. Moosa Al Nafai-Maher Al Balushi ended the event in fourth, four points ahead of Hashim Al Hashmi-Sabri Al Alawi in fifth.
Honouring the winners, the closing ceremony was held under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Hinai, Ambassador-at-Large at the Oman Foreign Ministry, in the presence of Sheikh Khalifa Abdullah Al Khalifa, President of the Arab Sailing Federation, and Dr. Khamis Salim Al Jabri, CEO of Oman Sail.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, Dr. Khamis Salim Al Jabri, CEO of Oman Sail, highlighted the significance of the 15th edition of Mussanah Race Week, which has established itself as an important platform for emerging sailors from Oman and around the world to develop their skills, gain competitive experience and prepare for regional and international championships.
He said: “Today, we celebrate the achievements of our sailors, their determination, sportsmanship and commitment throughout the competition. Mussanah Race Week continues to provide a valuable opportunity for young sailors to improve their skills, gain experience and build friendships. The event also reflects the strength of Mussanah Sailing School's facilities and its ability to host international training programmes and championships.”
Dr. Al Jabri also highlighted the importance of hosting the third Arab Women’s Sailing Championship alongside Oman’s celebrations of Omani Women’s Day, reinforcing Oman Sail’s commitment to increasing female participation in sailing and providing equal opportunities for women and girls to develop their skills and compete at higher levels, in line with Oman Vision 2040.
He added that Oman Sail remains committed to making sailing accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. He highlighted Oman Sail’s recognition at the 2026 Shabiba Basma Awards, where the organisation received the Disability Inclusion Initiative Award in recognition of its efforts to promote inclusive sailing and successfully host the inaugural World Sailing Inclusion Championship in 2025.
“This recognition encourages us to continue developing inclusive sailing programmes, expanding participation and creating more opportunities for sailors to compete at national and international levels,” he said.
Andrew Dawson, CEO of Renaissance Services, shared his thoughts on the successful title partnership, adding, “We believe that investing in people and creating opportunities are crucial to Oman’s long-term progress. Our partnership with Oman Sail reflects this commitment to building capacity, nurturing sporting talent and inspiring the next generation. We are proud to support initiatives that bring communities together, celebrate sporting excellence and contribute to the ambitions of Oman Vision 2040.”
The closing ceremony honoured the top-performing sailors of the week, celebrating podium finishes across the youth, open, and women's categories. By delivering world-class competition, fostering regional participation, and advancing structured pathways for both youth and female sailors, the combined championships reinforced Oman’s standing as a premier global hub for maritime sports and a key driver of Oman Vision 2040 goals.
Alongside the competition on the water, the event successfully championed strict environmental standards as a certified Clean Regatta, incorporating single-use plastic bans, comprehensive recycling, and community beach clean-up activities.
One of the key initiatives was the production of the championship trophies using more than 30,000 recycled plastic bottle caps at Oman Sail’s Muscat Plastic Lab, launched last year as the first facility of its kind in Oman. The initiative demonstrates how plastic waste can be transformed into useful products while raising awareness of the circular economy.
The programme also included a beach clean-up at Mussanah involving sailors, volunteers and members of the local community, as well as the launch of the Community Sustainability Lab on Omani Women’s Day. The lab aims to empower girls and young women to develop practical solutions to environmental challenges and encourage their participation in community sustainability initiatives.
The 2026 edition is presented by Renaissance Services as title partner; the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism; Barceló Mussanah Resort as host and bronze partner; alongside supporting partners National Mineral Water Company (Tanuf), the Arab Sailing Association, the Oman Maritime Sports Committee, and the Royal Navy of Oman’s Directorate of Medical Services at the Medical City for Military and Security Services.
